The Sabaody Archipelago shimmered beneath drifting bubbles and filtered sunlight. Mangrove roots coiled like ancient serpents, holding together a land where pirates, nobles, and criminals crossed paths daily.
Ren and Shakky walked through Grove 13, blending into the crowd with calculated ease.
Shakky wore a long dark coat over lighter travel clothes, her posture relaxed but her senses sharp. Ren had changed into a simple fitted shirt and dark trousers, his sun-shaped mark faintly visible on his forehead.
They were shopping.
Or at least pretending to.
"We need supplies for the New World," Shakky said casually while examining a crate of preserved rations. "Better navigation tools too."
Ren nodded, scanning the area without appearing suspicious.
"And maybe a Log Pose upgrade," he added. "The New World isn't forgiving."
Shakky glanced sideways at him.
"You're taking this seriously."
"I don't want to die," he replied flatly.
Before she could answer, a sharp voice pierced the air.
"You! That woman!"
The crowd stiffened instantly.
A Celestial Dragon stood atop a carried platform, glass helmet gleaming under the light. His finger pointed directly at Shakky.
"Capture her!" he shrieked. "She's one of the fugitives from God Valley!"
The Marines escorting him tensed.
Shakky didn't even look at him.
She simply continued walking.
Ren's gaze shifted.
His pupils turned vertical for a brief moment, glowing faintly gold.
Then he ignored the Celestial Dragon entirely.
The Dragon's face reddened with fury.
"Did you not hear me?! Kneel! Capture them!"
The Marines hesitated.
The crowd trembled.
Ren sighed quietly.
"I really hate shopping interruptions," he muttered.
The Celestial Dragon's guards moved forward, hands on weapons.
Ren didn't transform.
He didn't raise his voice.
He simply extended his will.
Invisible pressure wrapped around the Celestial Dragon's mouth, sealing it shut. His scream became a muffled gurgle.
"What—?!" one Marine gasped.
Ren's voice was calm.
"You should be careful who you shout at."
A subtle pulse of illusion spread outward.
The guards blinked.
Their eyes shifted.
In their vision, the Celestial Dragon suddenly appeared as a monstrous figure—his face twisted, features replaced by the towering image of Rocks D. Xebec.
Behind him, the air distorted further.
Another illusion layered itself.
A towering, shadowed figure with burning red eyes—Imu.
The Marines recoiled instinctively.
"He—he's one of them!" a guard shouted in panic.
The crowd followed the shift.
Fear rippled outward like wildfire.
Ren didn't say a word.
The illusion intensified.
The Celestial Dragon struggled violently, but his mouth remained sealed by telekinesis. He couldn't scream. He couldn't command.
The first punch landed.
Then another.
Soon, the crowd—already fearful, already conditioned by years of resentment—unleashed suppressed fury. Fists and boots rained down mercilessly.
The Marines, caught in illusion and panic, joined the chaos.
"Kill him!"
"He's one of the devils!"
The Celestial Dragon's pristine robes tore apart within seconds.
Ren watched without emotion.
He had learned to use several abilities without transforming—Telekinesis, size manipulation, and Fox Fire were all accessible in human form now.
Illusions still required partial transformation.
His eyes glowed faintly again.
The beating intensified.
Shakky finally glanced back, amused.
"You're not even going to stop them?"
Ren shrugged.
"Why would I?"
The Dragon tried to scream again.
Nothing came out.
Ren adjusted the telekinetic hold slightly so he could breathe, but not speak.
"You're surprisingly cruel," Shakky noted lightly.
Ren's expression remained neutral.
"I'm being merciful. I'm not killing him."
The illusion deepened one last time.
Ren implanted a subtle memory distortion—every Marine and civilian present would remember being assaulted by figures resembling Rocks and Imu.
When the illusion finally shattered, confusion spread.
The crowd staggered back.
The Celestial Dragon and his guards lay in a broken heap, faces swollen beyond recognition.
One Marine blinked repeatedly.
"W-What happened?"
Another shook his head.
"I saw… I saw Xebec… no, that's impossible…"
Ren turned casually.
"Strange day," he commented.
Shakky burst into laughter.
"You really are something," she said as they walked away. "To make people beat up a Celestial Dragon like that."
Ren slid his hands into his pockets.
"Just wait. When I'm stronger, if they dare cross my path, they'll beg for death."
Shakky studied him carefully.
She believed him.
He had already mastered his Devil Fruit at an absurd pace. His Conqueror's Haki was approaching intimidation-level control, able to target without uncontrolled bursts.
He stood on the verge of Armament and Observation awakening fully.
"This guy is a monster," she thought.
They continued walking deeper into the grove.
Shakky glanced at him sideways.
"So," she said casually, "which Kuja girl are you planning to ask me about?"
Ren's jaw tightened slightly.
"It's not time."
"You've said that before," she pressed.
He sighed.
"You'll know when it's right."
Shakky folded her arms.
"My curiosity is burning brighter every day."
Ren stared ahead silently.
Inside, he felt something closer to despair.
By the timeline, Hancock wasn't even born yet.
Neither was Yamato.
He had nearly cried when he calculated it properly.
Just like the author, he loved Hancock and Yamato the most in One Piece. Now fate mocked him with timing.
"I'm middle-aged by the time they grow up…" he thought bitterly.
He exhaled slowly.
"Damn you, author."
Still, he trusted that unseen force guiding his existence.
"The guy might be unreasonable," Ren thought, "but he would never abandon Hancock and Yamato."
So he waited.
For plot.
For destiny.
For whatever twisted mechanism governed this era.
As they reached another marketplace clearing, a Marine patrol approached cautiously, whispering among themselves.
"Those are the two from earlier."
Ren looked at them calmly.
One Marine swallowed nervously.
"Are you… connected to what happened?"
Ren tilted his head.
"What happened?"
The Marine hesitated.
"There was… an incident."
Shakky smiled faintly.
"Incidents happen often in Sabaody."
Ren's eyes flashed briefly again.
The Marines flinched.
"I suggest," Ren said quietly, "you focus on protecting civilians instead of chasing shadows."
Conqueror's Haki pulsed lightly—not enough to knock them out, but enough to shake their resolve.
The Marines stepped back instinctively.
"Understood."
They retreated.
Shakky chuckled.
"You're growing more dangerous by the day."
Ren glanced at the Red Line in the distance.
"Good."